Twilight's End
by Celestialmew
Summary: A story set after Endless Waltz that deals with loose ends, and introduces a new threat ...
1. Chapter One

A Gundam Wing Fanfic: Twilight's End  
by Celestialmew (celestialmew@yahoo.com) 

Disclaimer: I recieve no money or profit of any kind by this endeavor except the satisfaction of writing. All Gundam Wing trademarks belong to their respective owners. (You lucky persons, you...) Suing a poor, starving artist will not be in your best interest, and make you unpopular. 

Author's note: This story is set a few years after Endless Waltz. The chapter is rather short, but is mainly to tie up one or two loose ends and serve as an introduction. Chapter Two will be a bit more extensive and eventful. I'd like to thank my boyfriend, Gengar_99, for inspiring me to this with his fanfic. 

CHAPTER ONE

* * *

  
Heero faced Relena in a quiet, shadowed room. They had just come back from a dinner date at a small cafe in the greenhouse section of this colony. It was near nighttime, or the facsimile thereof. There was no true night and day here but the mirrors outside that simulated that process with reflected sunlight. 

Relena adverted her eyes and moved over toward the small, square porthole facing the abyss of space. Bright, blue and beautiful earth hung in the black sea of stars, and another colony was just marginally in front of it. She sighed and turned toward Heero again. 

"It's been a long time since we've been out together, hasn't it?" she asked. 

He nodded, and got a distant look on his face. He was no longer sixteen but almost nineteen now. All mobile suits had been banished, and he'd been trying to make it on his own on this remote colony. Some people still weren't fond of the Gundams' part in the war so he laid low. Heero had plenty of talents at his disposal and he worked here as a engineer and technician. 

All in all, he had found it rather dull compared to the constant life on the battlefield. Wufei had been right: he had found his purpose, his sense of being alive by fighting. Day-to-day matters simply failed to catch his interest. 

Relena stretched her arms over her head, and yawned. It wasn't that she was tired, but her muscles were sore. She had been tense all day runing about as a dignitary between the colonies, and tonight was the first time in over a week she had begun to unwind. 

She sat down in a chair, and looked around the room. This was where Heero stayed, and he seemed to be quite meticulous about neatness. The furnishings were rather spartan. A few items on a desk with a laptop and wrinkled sheets were the only things that made it look lived in. 

She rolled her shoulders to try to relax her muscles. Heero drew closer slowly and started rubbing her shoulders and neck for her. Relena looked at him, surprised, for a moment then slumped as his hands worked out the tense spots. 

He finished up after a few minutes. "Better?" 

"Yes," Relena replied. She turned to face him suddenly, her eyes large. He was transfixed by that gaze, so demanding it was of complete attention, and curious as to why she had moved so quickly. 

A question had been on her lips for years now since she had known him. Relena had asked him before but recieved no answer. She had meant to ask him over dinner, but shyness got the better of her in a public place. But she had to know. 

"Do you have feelings for me, Heero?" she asked. 

He was silent what seemed like a long time, one minute, two minutes ticking by on his alarm clock. Relena only waited, her heart beating hard and slow in her chest. A drop of sweat broke out on her forehead from the anticipation. She was praying he wouldn't say 'no.' 

Heero was thinking over very carefully what had been on his mind more than once. The only emotions he had ever known, he felt were in battle... anger, focus, doubt, a short-lived grief when he was younger... but with her, he felt differently. He wanted to both protect her, and no matter how many times the war had called for him to destroy her, he had never brought himself to it. 

His mind drifted back to the time where he had faced down Maraimeia. Relena had shouted his name as he had fallen, wounded, and leapt to keep him from crashing to the floor. She had never known how close he was to surrendering himself to her. All he could remember was her worried face as he had went unconscious, and her whispering to him there would be no more killing. 

After that, he had almost said something to her after she gave her speech, but habit had made him leave again. He couldn't face that part of himself yet. They had been meeting off and on for several years but only for short times. 

And here with her now, Heero was feeling something. He was feeling challenged, and fulfilled, and had forgotten all the minor considerations that nagged at him. He had been raised to feel little or no emotion, but he could not deny that this was more than that. 

Heero closed his eyes, not bearing to be able to admit this while under that blue-eyed gaze. He would be leaving behind the emotional scars of the war, and that took effort. He would be saying that what had been his goal for years was disappeared now. 

"Yes," he answered. He didn't use the distant, crisp tone he usually did. 

"Oh..." she trailed off into thoughtful silence for a few minutes. She wasn't sure how to react now. The first thing Relena felt was an overwhelming burst of emotion out of her heart. What she had been hoping for he had finally confirmed. 

Heero was still struggling with his own epiphony. He did hold a deep affection, respect, and consideration for her. Did that mean- that he loved her? Wasn't that a definition of love? 

"Oh, Heero!" she cried suddenly, and covered the distance between them. She embraced him tightly. 

He was caught offbalance as he quite unexpectedly felt her close to him. Relena always had been forthcoming; but politics and war didn't build shyness. He blinked then wrapped his arms around her with a slight smile. He didn't smile often. She looked up to see his countenance, and her face lit up. 

There were tears standing in her eyes. Heero looked into her face, and saw the telltale glitter in those eyes as deep as an ocean's wave, or a dark earth sky. He was strangely moved and hugged her tighter. 

Relena glanced out the porthole. "I'm tired now. Let's go to bed." 

"Very well. I'll sleep on the floor." Heero said matter-of-factly. 

She shot him a withering, exasperated look. He was holding a faint smile that undermined his stoic attitude. She let her forehead sink into her hand and muttered something with a slow shake of her head. 

"Very funny, Heero..." she commented.  


* * *

It was early morning, and the automatic cover over the porthole was down to protect its occupants' sleep. The room was very dimly lit, just enough to see two slumbering forms, one with their arm over the other. There was the warning beep of someone at the door. 

Heero rolled away from Relena, and kicked the sheets off himself. He was dressed enough to answer the door, but probably in a disarray. He walked across the room and tapped the panel beside the door. It only partially opened. 

"Hey, Heero," Duo greeted him cheerfully, "You forgot to turn in your report on the conduits last night, and I need it today to complete the job." 

He blinked. He usually woke up quickly and coherently, but not today. Even leaving a task or duty undone was very unlike him... but he had had other things on his mind that would probably affect the course of his life. He looked at his alarm clock on his desk: 5:30. His usual time of awakening. 

"I'll get it to you this afternoon," he said flatly, shooting a dark look at Duo. Sometimes he thought the other boy wasn't so bad, other times he loathed him. Now was one of those times even though it wasn't Duo's fault he was off-schedule. 

The braided boy looked at his stormy face, and agreed quickly. "Okay. Afternoon is good." 

As Heero turned to go back in his room, the other boy couldn't help but ask another question. His friend - in his eyes, anyway - was acting a little odd. "This isn't like you. What happened?" 

"It's none of your business, Duo. Tell the manager I'm not feeling well," he answered. 

"Alright, alright..." his visitor said, relenting. Trying to get information out of Heero when he didn't want to tell was like prying open the hatch of an ancient spacecraft with your hands. Nearly impossible. There was the sound of buttons being pushed and the door snapped together all the way with a click. 

"Yeah, goodbye to you too, Heero," Duo said, putting his hands in his pockets and walking away. Heero was usually an early-morning riser and not irritable upon awakening. Oh well... everyone was entitled to their off days. Maybe he was sick although strains of mild viruses were uncommon in L-2. 

He knew the path back toward the facility and followed it easily. There were not a lot of people out on the streets besides executives and other working class people. Come 6:00 and it would be packed though. He hurried up, and made it to the building within a few minutes. 

Hilde intercepted him at the door expectantly. "Do you have the papers? Ms. Hana wants them soon, and I might be able to make a transaction for conduit parts." 

"Heero says he'll have them by the afternoon. He has a headache or something so he's not coming in," Duo said, shaking his head. 

Hilde just nodded and replied, "Hmm. Well, you can do the report if he doesn't get it in." 

Duo grumbled something beneath his breath along the lines of "Thanks a lot, Heero". Hilde tried not to smirk about that and went back down the street to her scrapyard business. All the agencies were grouped together for convenience. Duo disappeared into the corridors of the building. 

  


* * *

Relena woke up at the sound of _beep-beep, visitor! _She laid in bed, not really moving or opening her eyes even though she overheard a conversation. She finally identified the unfamiliar voice as Duo's, an impertinent boy that she had only met a few times. One of the former Gundam pilots. 

Heero tapped the panel, and there was the sound of the doors closing again. He sighed and climbed back into bed, to try to fall asleep again. She stirred, rolled over to face him, and opened her eyes drowsily. He moved her hair away from her face. 

"Duo came by to remind me to make a report," he said. 

"I know," she replied, "I wish the entire world would just go away. What time is it?" 

"5:34," he answered. 

Relena sat up, moving the sheets off herself. She stretched and blinked a few times to clear her vision. "Good. I don't have to check in until 6:30." 

He nodded, and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He got back to his feet, went over to his desk, and turned his laptop on. Heero typed in a few commands that pulled up a menu. He browsed through the list, highlighted one, and turned back to her. 

"You have two meetings to attend to at 7:45 and 9:00. You also have to meet the commander of the L-5 sometime in the afternoon," he said simply. 

"Thank you for informing me of what to do before I even knew it... how do you get your information?" she asked. 

He shrugged, and said, as if it were the easiest thing in the world, "I tapped into L-2's logs, and the World Federation's schedule for today." 

"Those files are protected by one of the best security systems money can buy, Heero. I should have hired you," she said. 

He shook his head. "I'd rather not." 

Relena laughed and stood up. She walked across the room and re-opened the doors. "I'm going to get us breakfast," she told him, "Do you want anything?" 

"Not really." He was back to typing at his keyboard, scrolling through files and information. She frowned and strode back to his desk. She typed in something and the screen flickered, and the program crashed. Heero's mouth twitched, and he turned his chair away from the desk to look at her. 

"I changed my mind. You're coming with me to breakfast," she stated. 

"Alright," he agreed. She looked at him suspiciously as if wondering why he didn't protest. Heero only looked back at her blankly, his face giving nothing away. 

They walked to the door. Relena tapped in the open sequence code in the panel. The doors didn't slide open. Heero moved her hand aside, and typed it in himself. Again, the doors didn't budge. 

"That's strange. It's not working," Heero said without emotion. He appeared confused; it had always worked before. 

Relena pressed her shoulder against the sliding doors. Suddenly, there was an exploding sound and a brilliant flash of light. Artificial gravity flickered on and off, the porthole cover flew open, and the doors snapped open all of a sudden. She stumbled through the doorway, and fell to the ground. 

"What was _that!?_" she gasped breathlessly. 

_To be continued..._


	2. Chapter Two

A Gundam Wing Fanfic: Twilight's End  
by Celestialmew 

Disclaimer: I recieve no money or profit of any kind by this endeavor except the satisfaction of writing. All Gundam Wing trademarks belong to their respective owners. (You lucky persons, you...) Suing a poor, starving artist will not be in your best interest, and make you unpopular. My work may be distributed as long as my name and email address (sorka318@aol.com) is included. 

Author's note: Kudos to my readers and my boyfriend for their support! In the tradional fashion of Gundam Wing, viewpoints will be meshed together, subtle, and confusing. A note to the reader, they all occur in a progressive order. History for this fanfic is taken from tidbits of various Gundam series, the Episode Zero manga, the Gundam Wing series, and Endless Waltz. 

CHAPTER TWO

* * *

  
Heero grabbed Relena's hand, and pulled her to her feet quickly. She just barely got a glimpse of people running around outside before his fingers flew across the control panel for the room. The doors snapped shut again, and the porthole cover slammed down. There was another explosion, and another, growing fainter each time. 

Heero flipped his laptop on, and typed madly. After a few seconds, there was an answering beep and Duo's alarmed face came on. Workers were running out of the building behind him. 

"What is happen - " he began. A blaring siren cut off the rest of his words. 

"Life support systems are failing. Evacuation procedures are recommended. Do not panic. Repeat: do _not_ panic. All workers report to stations for systems check and repairs," a monotone voice announced over the intercom. 

"That will take too long," Heero said, half to himself. Relena stood forgotten behind him until she tapped him on the shoulder. 

"Do you know what's going on?" she demanded. 

"No. Only suspicions," he answered. "Relena, we're getting out of here _now_." 

He cut the connection, off and grabbed his pack out from under the bed. He put the laptop in it, and left the room quickly out the doors. Relena followed. Even as they emerged onto the street, another deep boom shook the colony. The explosion sounded too close for comfort. 

He dashed through the crowd, and followed where the majority of the people were heading. Relena struggled to keep up with him, and keep him in sight. Heero ducked into a narrow passage and down a flight of stairs. A siren began blaring rather belatedly. 

"Where are we going?" she cried over the din. 

He shook his head, ignoring the question and continued in his journey. The siren's noise died away as they went through a secluded section of corriders. Heero led the way, following the map in his head. Their destination was soon revealed as the entrance to docking bay. 

Only a few other people were there yet, and unloading into escape pods. He choose one on the far left, and hustled them both into it. The engine came to life with a hum. 

"Hey!" a porter protested, noticing them. 

Too late. The small vessel shot out into space. Relena just managed to get her restraints on before being slammed backward against the seat. Heero barely seemed to notice the motion. He pointed with a free hand to his left, his face showing no emotion. 

The L3 colony was repeatedly impacting with their L2 colony, grinding against it. The problem was, that was completely impossible. The colonys' orbit was calculated to never allow a collision. 

"They bypassed the ban on weapons by using the impulse engines to manuever it minutely," he stated simply. 

"Wouldn't someone have noticed?" she said, horrified, "Why would anyone want to do that?" 

Heero continued on. "I'm estimating it's sabotage. There were projects in action some people wouldn't approve of." 

She made a quiet noise of agreement, and stared out through the glass. Her eyes spoke that she was disturbed inside. Relena upheld the belief peace and goodwill could be achieved... but it was tried upon again and again. 

Heero spared her a glance. He refused to let the destruction touch him anymore, but she differed from him in that. His attention was back on his piloting within a few moments. 

"I left the teddybear on my nightstand..." she said sadly. 

He dropped his head for a moment, but didn't reply. There was nothing that he could think of to say. 

The small spacecraft hurtled on, unnoticed. The moon was just beginning to be illuminated by the sunlight, and the cities of Earth twinkled in the darkness that covered half of it. The colonies were still locked together, sparks glowing brightly and dying away in a wink of light.  


* * *

A boy laid stetched on the sand, his hands folded together behind his head. The desert was quiet and cool, but the chill barely touched him. He was appreciating the remarkably clear view of the night sky. 

Quatre yawned, and put a hand over his mouth wearily to stifle it. He had a feeling of excitement, of danger, of expectation like the kind he used to got before a battle. He was looking at the sliver of moon that dared show itself in a sea of stars. 

His eyes were draw to a strange twinkling slightly south of it. It was too long-lived to be a meteor, and he couldn't recall any twinkling, binary stars in that area. The atmosphere was too clear right now to be the cause of it either. 

Quatre closed his eyes for a long time. His feeling of something to happen increased and got an edge to it. It was a warning that screamed itself in the back of his mind, like the warning brush of a lethal strike. But no - it must be a false alarm. 

What enemies could there be out here in the desert now? Peace reigned, and he had an unusually acute perception for attacks. 

He sighed. He hated a puzzle he couldn't solve. Quatre sat up, and rubbed his hands together vigorously. It was time to head back to the his house. 

He walked there slowly. Two of his sisters, Iria and Yasine, lived with him there. He came to the well-sized mansion, and knocked once politely. He entered and shut the door quietly. Likely, Yasine was asleep. She was but ten and slept lightly. 

Iria greeted him with a mildly chiding look. She patted his shoulder and urged him into the living room where two warm cups of tea were already set out. She took up one and he gladly took up the other. 

"Thanks," he said with a smile. 

"No problem," she replied, "I knew you'd be back when it started getting colder outside so I made some tea." 

Quatre nodded. He was rather silent tonight, but couldn't place what was on his mind. He finished his tea, gave his sister a hug, and stood up from the floor. "Goodnight." 

"Goodnight," she said back. 

Yet after he retired, he slept fitfully and his dreams were full of strange images and nightmarish. He awoke several times, sweating, only to fall back asleep again despite his best efforts. 

  


* * *

"Watch out, Duo!" Hilde cried, shoving him against the wall just in time. A falling support barely missed them. Other people were not so lucky. She panted through her respirator. 

"Let's keep moving," he said, trying not to show how shaken he was. That building support could have easily killed both of them. 

They and a few other fellow workers were making their way through the crowd. They had abandoned their stations by now: saving the colony was a hopeless cause. Duo suffered a pang of emotion. He had fought for these people only to see them slowly being slaughtered again. 

Through the portholes, the bulk of L3 ramming and grinding against L2 could be seen. The scraping and fracturing of metal could be heard through screams, sirens, and the creaking of a failing hull. 

Duo and Hilde were headed toward the nearest docking bay along with possibly every other person still moving. There would be enough escape pods. Looking around at the wounded, he had no doubt of that. His own breath was sustained by a respirator. 

They managed to weasel through an anxious line of people waiting to board an escape pod. They were finally crammed into one of the small vessels along with many other passengers. Both Hilde and Duo took one last sorrowful look at L2 as they left. It had been their home. 

"So many people will die," Hilde said sadly. 

"Damn!" Duo swore softly, looking on at L3. Escape pods could be seen flying out of docking bays there too. "I would just like to know how this happened." 

"So would I," chimed in a fellow worker. Several other people nodded morosely. Most were too stunned to react, and didn't appear to be listening. Their lives had been turned inside out. 

The pod took off after a few minutes, heading back toward earth. Even though the small spacecraft was packed with people, there wasn't much in the way of conversation. Duo slipped his hand into Hilde's to give her some small comfort as they headed back toward Earth. 

A scared child made her way toward them. She didn't seem to have any parents, and her soulful eyes found the couple. She sat at their feet. Duo picked up the girl purposefully and put her between them. His parents had been killed when he was young too. No words were said; none were needed. 

  


* * *

On the L3, chaos reigned as it had on its sister colony. People ran back and forth, and the cracks in the hull were visible. There was the high-pitched hiss of air leaking out slowly. A few people had remembered to grab their respirators or thought to get into spacesuits. 

In the midst of the crowd, back in a dark passageway, a scared scientist was cornered by two rather unhappy-looking other scientists. 

"I didn't know! Honest, I had no idea what had been going on!" the boy protested, his eyes large. 

"For two weeks..." a female scientist added skeptically. "Come on! You were supervisor of the cislunar orbital path!" 

"Look, I-I thought the errors were only minor. Those technicians seemed real," he said. 

"Yet _no one_ noticed?" interjected the other male scientist harshly. 

"Tres, let's just get out of here," the woman said worriedly, "I know he's behind it, but we're living on borrowed time. We can turn him in to the authorities later." 

"You're rig - " 

The man stiffened and collapsed, coughing. Blood was on his lips. The other scientist followed within seconds after she screamed. The sound wasn't noticed. The boy with dark green eyes knelt near them. His white labcoat was immaculate, not a stain on it. 

"I'm so sorry," the boy whispered to them, regret in his voice, "but they'd kill me if you told. I don't want to die." 

He dropped with the knife with a sob, and ran out of the alley. His mind was frozen at what he had done. He doffed his labcoat and looked around at the street. He took off a fallen man's fezz and put it on, keeping his head low to escape notice. 

He managed to make it to an escape pod, and hunched down in the people around him. He was claustrophobic, and afraid of recognition among these refugees. His scared and haunted eyes tracked the L3. 

_Oh, god, I hope they don't find me... no one will notice a few more dead bodies in all that anyway, no one will know I was involved... _his thoughts were like those of a terrified bird. _What a mes_s _you've gotten yourself into this time._

The young scientist's thoughts were still on the colony even as it dwindled in size and eventually faded out of sight. 

  


* * *

Quatre was staring blankly into the darkness, unable to sleep again. His door opened suddenly, and the light flicked on. He shielded his eyes. 

"Quatre!" Iria exclaimed softly, her voice excited, "Quick, come see what's all over the news!" 

"What is it?" he asked drowsily, that feeling in his mind getting stronger. 

"Two of the colonies crashed together! L2 and L3! No one knows why," she said, pulling him out of bed by his hand. 

His heart stopped for a moment. Heero and Duo were up there. They weren't close friends, but they kept in touch occasionally, kept together by a bond wrought in war. He wondered if they were alright. 

Quatre got out of bed quickly and walked into the living room. The TV showed the sight of the two colonies, debris and sparks everywhere. The voice of a reporter droned on in the background. 

"At 11:30 Earth time, 5:45 Colony time, and 12:30 Lunar time, L2 and L3 collided with each other. The damage is heavy, and casualities are unknown at this time. Escape pods have been seen exitting from both colonies. Stay tuned for more information..." 

He stood there, with Iria nearby, watching the sattellite pictures flash across the screen. He sat down dully on the couch, praying his friends and all those people would be safe, even knowing in his heart not everyone would be saved. He felt partly responsible for it all. 

Quatre couldn't shake the feeling this was only the tip of the iceberg though, the start of something much larger again. He rested his head in his hands. Iria patted his back comfortingly. She understood the devastation he felt at seeing the colonies in the midst of destruction again after years of peace. 

"This doesn't feel right..." he said, his eyes on something unseen miles away. She could only nod in agreement. 

  


* * *

It was early dawn across the desert. The sun shone brilliantly off the white sands, and the sunrise merged wit the horizon in the distance. 

A compact car rode up across the sands, leaving a cloud behind it. It stopped near the house, and a traveler stepped out. 

"Thanks," he said softly, handing over some money. The driver nodded and rode off. 

The boy walked up to the house and rang the doorbell. A young girl of ten answered the door after a few moments. They stared at each other. The child was both suspicious and curious; they didn't get many visitors. 

"Is Quatre here?" he asked. 

The little girl nodded. "Yes." She closed the door partly, inhaled, and shouted, "_Quatre!_ It's for you!" 

The door opened again, revealing the slightly breathless blonde Arabic. Blue eyes met that gaze of the visitor, showing surprise. "Trowa! It's been months since you've visited." 

"Yeah," he agreed, "It's a long way out here." 

He stepped inside. Quatre led him to the living room. Iria and Yasine hovered at the edge of the room, trying not to be too obvious about their intrusion. Trowa's eyes passed over them. 

"Can we talk alone?" he asked quietly. 

"I guess so," Quatre said, mystified. He gave a pleading look to his sisters. Iria nodded politely, and guided herself and the child away. 

Trowa was silent for a moment, and took a seat in a chair facing the couch where Quatre sat. He began speaking slowly. "Well, I found out I had a sister a few days ago. Imagine my surprise when I walked into the medical center for a check-up, and the doctor told me of the results of the last DNA test." 

"Great," Quatre said with a smile, sipping idly at his tea, "Who is it?" 

"It's Catherine," Trowa said, pausing before continuing, "I've never had a sister before, never thought she'd really _be_ my sister." 

He nodded. The other boy sounded a little confused and lost. Trowa laughed at himself, and tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling. 

He brought his gaze down again, his humor gone and seriousness falling over his face that was visible. "You heard about that crash of the colonies?" 

Quatre nodded again dismally. 

Trowa moved his hair slightly with a free hand. He looked uncertain. "I was doing some research on it... and I came across a few things that don't quite add up in my mind." 

Blue eyes met enigmatic brown ones. "And?" 

"Quatre," he said, his brow furrowed, "have you ever heard of something called a 'newtype'? They're people with advanced ment - " 

Quatre choked. The teacup dropped out of shaking hands, spilling its contents onto the floor. 

"I _know_ what a newtype is, Trowa!" he snapped. His tone was crisp, even cold. The other boy looked taken aback, the hurt and shock clear on his face. Quatre was the last person he thought would have raised his voice to him. 

The blonde boy stood up abruptly. "Maybe it's time you go." 

Trowa stared at him and said, "But I have only been here a few minutes." 

"Please go," he said softly and firmly. He was still shaking. 

The other boy stood up, and backed away. He eventually dropped his head in repudiation and walked out of the house. The door shut with a slam heard through most of the mansion. Quatre winced at the loud noise. His heart felt heavy suddenly. 

He had known without turning around he had had an eavesdropper through most of the conversation. She couldn't disguise her nervous breathing and shifting. He met that gaze slowly. What he saw shook him even worse. Fear. Angst. 

"Don't look at me like that, Iria," he asked quietly. His sister licked her lips nervously, and left the room. 

The house suddenly seemed very silent and very lonely. Quatre hit the wall with his fist, sinking against it in despair, finding himself trapped in a web of his own making. He closed his eyes, fighting back tears. 

He always managed to mangle things... 

_To be continued..._


	3. Chapter Three

A Gundam Wing Fanfic: Twilight's End  
by Celestialmew 

Disclaimer: I receive no money or profit of any kind by this endeavor except the satisfaction of writing. All Gundam Wing trademarks belong to their respective owners. (You lucky persons, you...) Suing a poor, starving artist will not be in your best interest, and make you unpopular. My work may be distributed as long as my name and e-mail address (sorka318@aol.com) is included. 

Author's note: A tip of the hat to the careful fan who figured out some of the Gundam pilots' histories on his or her own... Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to everyone! (It's the real millennium! There is no Year "0".) If you have comments, found a typo or plot hole, intelligent flames, or critique, don't hesitate to send a review in. 

CHAPTER THREE

  


* * *

The escape pod docked in a terran airport. The first rays of sunrise spilled across the hard, uninviting concrete. The spacecraft touched down, and the passengers spilled out. A woman with a clipboard took their names in turn. 

"Your names?" she asked, when Hilde and Duo came up in the line. 

"Duo Maxwell," the boy with the braid answered swiftly. 

"Hilde Maxwell," the girl replied when the lady looked at her. Hilde arranged the little girl with them in her arms more comfortably. She tapped the child on the nose with a smile. 

"What's your name, honey?" she inquired warmly. The dark-haired girl blinked shyly. She spoke very quietly and with a slight lisp. 

"Allissa...," the girl replied and paused before adding, "Gartinez." 

Duo came forward with an explanation. "They were our coworkers, but died by suffocation. We'll be caring for her." 

"Noted," the woman said perfunctorally, "Move along." 

The couple made their way through the airport's crowd and eventually arrived at the gates. Hilde was going to protest Duo's brash statement as he had not consulted _her_ about it, but was too weary to argue. They were forced to share a room in a nearby hotel with another person off the L3 colony. 

They had nothing to unpack. The trio went down to the lobby for the breakfast they had missed, and invited the man politely. He nodded vacantly, and followed them. Everyone ordered their meals and sat down at a name. 

"So," Duo said between mouthfuls of pancakes, "What's your name, buddy?" 

"Joseph Yhetto, but you can just call me Mr. Yhetto," he answered politely. The man picked at his eggs without much hunger. His story came tumbling out after a few minutes of awkward silence. They hung on his words. 

"I worked as a custodian on the L3 colony. One minute, I was doing my job, the next, boom! We had crashed into another colony. Everyone went haywire trying to figure out what was happening. I was cleaning up in the science station, I was. Found some odd-ands-ends and took them before getting the hell out of that thing," Joseph said. He looked around to make sure no one was looking, and dug in his pocket for the objects. 

He set out a strange tool, a crumpled note, two very small disks and a box no bigger than a quarter. "I had my suspicions when those phony technicians came in, and I stuck around to see what was up." 

Allissa watched all this silently without saying anything. Hilde picked up the items, turning them over and around. "I run a scrapyard business. I can tell you what they are. This is a welder, and this disk is blank. They go into the main core of a colony." 

Duo unfolded the note, reading it while she sorted through the objects. "This doesn't make any sense at all." 

  
Note: 

_prjct rthqk cmplt. 32 dn fr. prjct strm t b cmpltd. CT 5 0 1. cslnr rbt dn fr. KT. _

"That's what I thought," Joseph replied, shaking his head. 

Hilde tapped the second disk with her finger lightly and announced, "This one does have something on it though. The adhesive is dark inside. I can't open the box and it doesn't rattle." 

"Can we keep these items, Mr. Yhetto? They might be important to us," Duo asked, turning to the other man. 

"Sure. Won't do me a bit of good," he said. 

Hilde smiled at him, "Thanks." 

He nodded, stood up, and went back to the room. The couple turned to each other, unsure of what to make of their latest discovery or what to do about it. Hilde took the items in her hands and the trio headed back up to the room. Alissa trailed behind them, still strangely mute. 

Unbeknownst to them, a boy with green eyes and pale hair had strained to overhear the conversation at the other table. His eyes widened, and he left the hotel quickly. 

  


* * *

Heero followed behind Relena down the stairs to the landing. He had touched their stolen escape pod down near a building and into an empty garage-like room. He shut the large door and locked it with a tapped code. They were in the middle of a town and he wanted them out of view as soon as possible. 

He went up to the door and reached out to open it. Relena moved alongside him, wanting to just get inside a building. 

There was the crack of gunfire. Heero spun around, looking for the attacker. Relena gasped, clutching at her ribs, her breathing with a labored edge of pain to it. He swore, seeing her collapse and caught her before she fell to the ground. 

A movement caught his eye, and he saw a person sprint down the street wildly. He wasn't sure whether the shot had been intended for her or for him. Heero crushed down his urge to run after the hitman, stifled an anger that rarely showed itself. Relena needed his immediate attention. 

He worried if the bullet had punctured her lung or not. The blood that stained her nice dress said it was too low to have hit her heart. He picked her up in his arms, and put her on a couch hurriedly. This was an acquaintance's house he had secured in case there was an emergency. He got a cellphone out of his pack, and dialed 911. 

Relena wheezed and coughed weakly. He turned her head to face him to see if there was any blood. Thankfully, there was none. Heero got out a first aid kit that he had remembered to put in his backpack at the last minute. He got out bandaging tape. 

"Heero...?" she asked quietly. 

"Sshhh. Breathe evenly and don't move around or panic," he said evenly, "It'll inflame the wound." 

He ripped the dress near the wound was, and peeled the bloodstained fabric away. He wrapped the bandaging around her midsection, being careful not to jostle her too much. He applied pressure with his hands to try to stop the bleeding, and waited. The seconds ticked by in an eternity. 

"Did you give anyone a cause for shooting at you?" he asked. 

"I can't think of one..." she mumbled, her eyes closing. 

Heero grabbed his wrist with his hand, feeling for her pulse. Still strong. He looked relieved and leaned over her protectively. He could hear multiple sirens wailing in the distance. Within a minute, a medical team came in, and moved her onto a stretcher. A doctor interrogated him as he followed them. 

"It's a bullet wound, near her ribs... yes, I applied first aid myself, and I know what I'm doing... my name is Heero Yuy," he answered flatly, "No, I didn't see what the attacker looked like." 

He ignored the rest of the persistent doctor's questions, and stepped into the ambulance along with the medical team. A few assistants gave him sharp looks, but didn't protest. Heero stayed near her, his eyes straying to the instruments they were using to monitor her. Her heartbeat was normal. 

The ambulance's engine came on again, and it rolled down the street toward the hospital. 

  


* * *

The air was thick and a balmy breeze swept through a circus tent. Only a few lights were up still to pierce the darkness. Trowa sat on a bench in the audience, his elbows on his knees. He was deep in thought. 

Catherine came up behind him. He didn't acknowledge her right away. She sat down beside him quietly. 

"Is something bothering you?" she asked, breaking the silence. 

He flinched at the noise. Her voice seemed very loud in the dusky twilight before dawn. "Maybe." 

"What's on your mind, Trowa?" she pursued further. 

He lifted his head to look at her, his eyes full of mixed emotions. Everything seemed to be trying to hit him at once suddenly, and he found his dark past bubbling up to meet him again. _I used to be called Nanashi, no-name, before I took a dead man's name... Then I found out I had a blood relative I never knew about, Quatre snapped at me, I found out some disturbing information, and I'm not sure how I feel about anything anymore._

He wanted to say that, but all those words didn't make their way out. Her kindness urged him to say something though. "A friend pushed me away, that's all. And I just have some things on my mind..." 

"Like what?" she asked brightly. Her warm voice was a sharp contrast to his melancholy one. 

"Finding out I had a sister was something of a shock," he replied. 

"Oh," she said. 

They were quiet for a long time. Both were looking at the sun peek out over the horizon, painting the sky in colors of pale white and yellow and a rosy pink. Catherine fidgeted, uncomfortable. She knew he wasn't telling her something; he'd been avoiding it for years. "Anything else?" 

"You know I stayed with mercenaries when I was young... that was all I knew. It was hard and brutal, but I didn't let it affect me. When I was ten, someone - t-they..." he had started out at a whisper, and now his voice dragged on until it was barely audible. She had to put her head close to his to catch the words. 

Her eyes shimmered with both pity and sympathy, and she couldn't say anything for a while. All those times he had been so reluctant, and quiet, afraid someone would hurt him again... Catherine put her arm around his shoulders and squeezed him. "I'm sorry, Trowa." 

"You can't change history," he said, accepting the inevitable, and stood up. 

She nodded to that, and stayed seated. 

  


* * *

Wufei was living a quiet, uneventful life back in China. He had a roomy house and dwelled in it himself aside from a rather neglected cat. He balanced a job of sorting through texts and books, writing manuscripts or reports, or acting as a clerk for different people who hired him. He lived near the village of his youth. No one would have guessed that he would have ever been a clan leader or a Gundam pilot. That was the way he wanted it. 

A stack of papers, a calculator, and various tomes and essays littered his desk. He had woken up early that morning, and was currently fixing breakfast himself. Eggs sizzled on the stove. 

He turned on the television and let it play on in the background as he walked back to the kitchen, silently mouthing the words to the report in his hands. A cat trailed at his heels, mewing for attention. Wufei flipped over the egg and slid it onto a plate. He was still reading the paper to himself when some words from the television caught his attention. 

"Last night, the two colonies of L2 and L3 were found to have collided with each other. Scientists have declared this impossible, and say a malfunction in the engines that guide it may have occurred. We know now that as many as 200,000 have lost their lives, and the count isn't final yet..." 

He hummed musingly to himself and thought, _huh! That's odd. I'll have to look into that sometime._

Wufei sat down at his desk, still carrying his paper and his breakfast. He slid some of the clutter aside and ate, focusing on his work again. The ordeal didn't even cross his mind again for the rest of the morning. 

  


* * *

Heero put his hand against the glass that separated him and Relena. They had chased him out while they were performing surgery. He had obstinately refused to stay in the waiting room, and an exasperated staff left the boy undisturbed. 

He rested his head against the glass and murmured her name, as he had many times during his years. It helped keep him going, gave him some spark of inspiration. 

He turned at the gait of someone else coming down the hallway quickly. Milliardo Peacecraft came up beside him, and eyed him with both wariness and speculation. They may have fought as allies last time, but challenges died hard. 

"What are you doing here, Yuy?" he inquired, his words lacking warmth. 

Heero's expression became wooden. He looked at the man he had known as Zechs in a time before. He said without a tremble in his voice, "If you are suggesting I hurt her, your suspicions are misplaced. I love her." 

Milliardo took a step backward, clearly startled. His long blonde hair swayed around his knees. But his gaze did not lose its edge nor its doubt. 

"If you did... _anything_ to my sister, you'll never - " he began angrily, before being cut off by the arrival of a docter. He hissed softly, "If I find out you tried anything funny..." 

Heero sighed, and gave Milliardo a flat look. He wasn't intimidated by unspoken threats or this man although he had no doubt he was dangerous. _An irate relative is the last thing I need to deal with._

"I'll protect her as you would," he said mildly. _You, who attempted to destroy her before as I have, overcome by your urge for glory, for repentance in your actions, and only ended by making them worse. I'm a hypocrite, no better than you._

They stood apart from each other, both accepting the unspoken truce if unhappily. Milliardo sighed, and pulled up an uninviting metal chair to sit in. 

"Tell me what happened," he said and not as a request. 

Heero said in monologue, "We got off the L2 colony once the L3 crashed into it. An assassin was shooting at either her or me, and I got her medical help as soon as possible." 

"Do you know why?" he asked. 

Heero turned to him then, a wry, ironic smile on his lips. "Grudges last a long time, and we aren't exactly popular. You should know that, Milliardo." 

Milliardo crossed his arms, and made a "humph" noise. It wasn't a satisfactory explanation to him, but he accepted it. For the time being. 

He turned back to Relena, his thoughts swirling. Try as he might, Heero hadn't yet untangled the problem, and that bothered him incessantly. 

  


* * *

Quatre couldn't stand being in his own home. As large and well-furnished as his mansion was, it also appeared empty aside from him. There were many places someone could hide or avoid one - and that was exactly what his sisters were doing. Or they found some excuse to leave the room. 

He sat in a plush crimson chair, staring out a window that showed the expanse of the desert._ Iria has always stood up for me, and little Yasine always trusted me unconditionally... where did I go wrong? I was born out of a test tube, and I'm a newtype. An unlikely and unwanted mutation._

_The Maganacs aren't around anymore. They left their 'Master Quatre' after the war ended. He was a well-off member of the Winner family, anyway, and lived with two of his loving sisters. What need have he of friends? Well, Rashid visits every once in a while. _Quatre sighed. 

He was feeling out-of-sorts and depressed. He carried a burden on his soul; that of neglect of knowledge. He was partly responsible for a lot of things. For example, he knew the Zero System had been reproduced and used even though the Windzero Gundam was destroyed. 

He also knew of an underground organization that trained newtypes, and had said nothing of that either. And he knew something had come of it. His mind wandered on an occurrence of years past... 

  
_Quatre was looking out through a panel of glass on the shuttle pensively. He had always felt an affinity toward space and those it held, felt it beckoned to him. It was just his wild imagination, he knew._

_A Maganac came in and stood near them. He smiled at him and asked, "Have you heard of a newtype before?"  
If it were anyone else but Quatre, he would have been offended. He had received a thorough education in history. "Of course," he answered._

_"Good," the soldier nodded to himself, pleased. The duster on his fezz bobbed. "I'd like to introduce you to someone. Quatre, meet Kito."_

_A boy with blonde hair so pale it was almost white stepped into the room shyly. He dusted off his labcoat self-consciously, and bowed a little. His dark green eyes seemed to hold some deep secret or grief, but his smile seemed real. One of his hands was clenched into a fist, and held behind his back._

_"Hi," Quatre said, not sure of what to make of the other. His body language was all conflicting._

_The Maganac continued and said, "Kito is a registered newtype."_

_The boy's smile seemed to broaden slightly, and he moved a lock of hair behind his ear. "I'm eleven. I accidentally killed two men in training by making them brain-dead. They said I was advanced for my age."_

_"That's nothing to be proud of!" Quatre gasped, "Who trained you?"_

_The man who had introduced them quietly left the room. He remembered later on that the man's name had been Azeli, and he had died in battle after that._

_"You're right," Kito said, "It's terrible. But they were hurting me and made me cry. I didn't control myself. I can teach you to control yourself."_

_"What do you mean!?" he said, not liking this at all._

_The other boy sat down in a chair, his smile fading. His eyes twinkled with amusement though. He knew when he had an avid listener. "You're a newtype too."_

_Quatre pushed his goggles back onto his forehead. His first impulse was not to respond. He had always known something was off, but could never put his finger on it. Now he wished he had never learned. Kito leaned closer. "Don't deny it, Quatre."_

_"I'm not," he protested._

_"You were going to," the boy pointed out, too close for comfort. Quatre rubbed his hands together, put off-balance._

_"Hey, tell you what, I'll let you think on what I said. You could learn... the organization will accept you and you can help us with many things..." Kito said, smiling timidly. He was still leaning close as if hoping to convince the other boy though._

_Quatre looked at him, horror and pity warring in him. "No! Say nothing more and let me be."_

_"Just think about what I said, Master Quatre," the boy said with mock cheer and passiveness, exiting the room.  
_

* * *

It was early noontime. Hilde softly sang a lullaby to Allissa, and the little girl fell asleep a few minutes later. The child was exhausted and grieving inside. Mr. Yhetto had gone out to deliver his and their resumees to prospective businesses. 

On the edge of the other bed, Duo sat studying the note, a dictionary open in his lap. It was a poorly designed code with only the vowels taken out, and the handwriting was written fast and sloppily. Someone had been in a hurry when they wrote it. 

"Here's what I've got so far, Hilde," he said, showing her a separate piece of paper. 

_Project rthqk complete. 32 dn four. Project storm to be completed. CT 5 0 1. cislunar rbt dn four. KT. _

"Change the 'four' to 'for'" she said, catching that quickly, "It's 'done for.'" 

"I should have seen that..." he said, correcting the mistakes, "The 'r-t-h-q-k', '32' and the 'KT' baffles me." 

"Kite or kit?" Hilde offered. 

"I'll try it," he said, scribbling the possible choices down on paper. He tossed the pencil down, and picked up the hotel phone. "Ah, I'll come back to it later. Come on, let's get something to munch on from room service." 

"We don't have any money," she pointed out. 

"Refugees are getting free meals here. Someone else is paying for it," he said with a smirk and ordered their lunch. 

She made a noncommittal noise, and wrapped her arms around him after he was done. Duo looked down at her, his relaxed attitude that was his mask slipping for a moment as he remembered everything. 

At least he still had his wife, alive. He had no idea if Heero and Relena were okay. He remembered seeing them together, and would have ordinarily been grinning and teasing him not-quite friend about finally getting his act together. His brown eyes showed his worry, but he comforted Hilde with a smile and casual, careless words and jibes to distract her mind. 

She smiled with him, and for a moment he didn't have to pretend at optimism or good cheer. 

"I'm so happy you're with me, Hilde," he said quietly, "I love you." 

"I love you too, Duo," she replied, looking up at him. 

The little girl had sat up now, and was crying. The couple had reminded her that she never heard her parents say that, and how her parents were gone. Duo was there before Hilde was, and rested Alissa on his shoulder, rocking her side to side. He patted her back gently. 

"Sshhh, sshhh, it'll be OK. We'll watch after you. Everything will be OK, just cry all those annoying little fears out of your pretty little head," he murmured to her. The child's sobs quieted down after several minutes. 

Hilde stood off to the side, and held her arms out for the little girl. He handed her to her and, Hilde tucked her back into bed. Duo went over to stare out the window as Allissa fell back asleep. He had on his cheek, lost in thought. His wife joined him for lack of anything better to do, and said nothing. 

They sat like that, their shoulders barely touching, watching the traffic and the people roam across the streets. 

_To be continued..._


	4. Chapter Four

A Gundam Wing Fanfic: Twilight's End  
by Celestialmew 

Disclaimer: I receive no money or profit of any kind by this endeavor except the satisfaction of writing. All Gundam Wing trademarks belong to their respective owners. (You lucky persons, you...) Suing a poor, starving artist will not be in your best interest, and make you unpopular. My work may be distributed as long as my name and e-mail address (sorka318@aol.com) is included. 

Author's note: A caveat to the reader: this is a rather short chapter, and not much occurs .... it's a building chapter ..... _  


CHAPTER FOUR

  


* * *

A quiet elderly man sat in front of a fire. The air was slightly nippy outside, and he felt the temperature more often than not in his old bones. His eyes held many things: the pain of memories and regret for things that he had put into action, claims he held for creation. 

He was dying. He knew that as well as his slipping will to live. This man had lived the better half of a century and past. Knowledge, once found, could never be lost again. It was only reincarnated in many other forms. 

He nodded his head, taking his glasses off and rubbing his temples. His mind ached. Perhaps he simply held too much information and silent aches inside him. 

_Ah, but this world war was over, or so many believe. That impudent child had been right about history, it being an endless waltz. What was her name? Oh, yes. Maraimeia_, he thought to himself. _Dear me, my years are too much._

He wondered how the Gundam pilots were doing, if they were still alive at all. Especially that one boy, Heero. In a sense, it was his fault he had created the "perfect soldier." This man knew he wasn't so perfect though. _I hope he found something else for his life besides fighting wars and hopeless causes._

_And those two colonies... most regrettable. A pity I wasn't able to doing anything. But maybe I can now, maybe I can do something good and try to save my soul yet._ The man groped blindly for his glasses on the table, and stood up unsteadily. He made his way to the telephone on the other end of the room. 

He dialed in the numbers, praying he remembered the correct sequence. A phone rang several times before someone picked up. 

"Hello," the voice of a young woman answered. "Please give your designation." 

At first he thought it was a recording, but he heard the breathing and anxious shuffling. He said slowly, "I know to whom you belong. I know what you are, and I will make sure it is stopped." 

The woman lost her professional distance. "Hello?" she demanded, "Who _is_ this?" 

"An angered soul," came the soft, slow reply, "and I will see that which you belong to is taken down from the inside out." 

"Who the hell is this!?" she yelled into the phone indignantly. Her only answer that time was a click. 

The female blinked, but couldn't put the incident out of her mind. Only a few people should know this number, and she had never got any sort of threatening phone call. She would report the news to her superiors later. 

The old man made one more call to an old friend of his. They exchanged only a greeting, a few cryptic words, and a quick farewell. He put down the phone, his hand shaking. 

He looked out the window, at the sunlight reflecting off his garden in the late afternoon. No one would be left to care for it. He fancied that it would grow into a jungle of weeds, and went back laboredly into the living room. 

The old man sat down on the chair, his head sinking to the side as he went unconscious. He had only fragments of a dream, and a sense of satisfaction. Dr. J peacefully drew his last breath in his sleep. 

  


* * *

Heero had waited for hours patiently, vigilantly throughout the day. Milliardo was visiting with his sister, and mouthing words that he had to lip-read in order to understand. The room was soundproof. 

"My dear sister... we've been through a lot, separately, and in our own ways. You're strong. You'll live," Milliardo whispered, touching her face fondly. "And I'll find out the bottom of this." 

He looked at the boy still waiting outside the glass then, and did not meet a calculating gaze but unreadable eyes and a mouth lined with an unspoken sadness._ If I caused this somehow, someway... Forgive me again, Relena_, Heero thought. 

Her brother left after that, tired of waiting and perhaps a little distracted by another's eyes that held things he didn't want to think that person was capable of right then. 

Attendants walked in and out, checking on the prostrate girl. The heart monitor peaked steadily, and the IV continued pumping chemicals through her bloodstream. Heero touched the shoulder of an exiting doctor, looking at her. 

She sighed. This boy was something of a nuisance and stubborn at that but her heart went out to him. He was obviously the girl's lover or close friend. She decided to break protocol and let him in even though he wasn't related by blood or marriage. 

Heero entered the small room, sliding a chair up next to the bed with its pristine white covers. He cupped her hand in his, feeling like an invader. Sentimentality was entirely foreign to him. 

Some accused him of coldness or of being emotionless. It was not that he did not feel, but emotions simply were not expressed or lingered on by him. He knew pleasure, anger, sadness, compassion and very rarely, fear. He was only human. He just didn't like to shout his thoughts to the world or a stranger. 

Right now, Heero didn't try to deny his love and compassion for her. Something inside him hurt, a wound that wasn't healed by a hospital. He could hide it from everyone else or from himself but not both at once. 

"Relena... I love you. The past is hard to release," he said simply. He feel slightly foolish. An unconscious person wouldn't remember what he said. 

He thought of the snippets of history he had gained doing research on her during the war. Her father had been killed in a _coup dètat _enacted namely by Lady Une. Relena wasn't exceeding close to her mother, and her brother had left to join OZ as Zechs Marquise while she was still young. 

Another thoughtful attendant brought him a cold sandwich and urged him out. They replaced her bandages, put a check on a pad next to the bed, and left again. 

Relena's mouth opened for a moment in either an involuntary gasp or groan of pain as she was moved. The nurse patted her hand. 

He said something along the lines of "You'll be OK, just relax." Heero didn't catch all the words. 

She roused fully after another hour or so. He saw her turn over, mouthing something, and rushed into the room, much to the current doctor's dismay. 

"... where? Heero? It hurts... " Relena mumbled with a lisp. He clasped her hand firmly in his, leaning close. Her eyes were barely open and the pupils unfocused. 

"I'm here," he said. Heero faced the doctor, and inquired impassively, "What's her current condition?" 

"She had a slight infection in the wound, but that was cleaned out. She is doing well, and there was no major blood loss. The bullet was extracted from her ribs. She will probably be sore for a while," the doctor said routinely, but smirked at him knowingly. 

He nodded and took his seat at Relena's bedside again. She had lapsed back into her rest, breathing evenly. He started to become drowsy as another hour crawled past. _I... need to stay awake until she truly awakens... need to tell her something, what was it..._

It was evening then. He fell asleep, his head against her shoulder, snoring softly. He had managed to get five hours of sleep in three very eventful days, and it was unusually taxing on him. 

That was the sight that met Milliardo Peacecraft as he came back to look in on his sister. His lip twitched in something between irony and amusement, and he couldn't find it in himself to honestly keep his grudge against the boy. 

  


* * *

An imposing red-haired woman sat at a table in a room other men. To the eye, the setting was innocent enough, just another suburban dwelling and its occupants. None of them were pleased, and least of all her. 

One of the men was watching the latest news broadcast intently, sipping at his coffee. The other was lost looking out the window. She was frowning at several papers in her hand. Suddenly, there was a soft, unobtrusive knock at the door. 

She looked around, but the other two clearly were not being productive today. She huffed and answered the door herself. A confused girl looked up at her. 

"What is it?" she asked. 

"I'm sorry, Miss Jeshra... but I got a strange phone call from a man... he said he knew... things... and then he hung up," she said shyly. 

The woman stared disapprovingly at her subordinate. Her look seemed to say, _some prank phone caller got our number, and this is cause for disturbing us?_ "That's all?" 

"Well... uh..." the girl backed away, and left hurriedly. 

Jeshra closed the door, and shook her head, making a _tsk, tsk _noise. Neither of her two companions had even looked up in curiosity. She gave them disgusted looks they didn't notice, and went back to her papers. The man by the window began humming softly. 

"_Gentlemen!_" she snapped. Both of them jerked, and stared at her, clearly startled. 

"We have things to do, and some problems have come up. The newtypes are becoming more and more independent, _and_ getting stronger. The United Earth Nation has also started investigating the derelict colonies," she said. 

The man by the window nodded. "Perhaps we need to tighten security or discipline. I suggest we send a few agents to the colonies to clean up before UEN gets there." 

"What he said," the other man agreed. He was rather distracted by coffee spilt in his lap. 

"Done," Jeshra said, cracking her knuckles. She picked up the phone with a flourish, and placed a call to their headquarters. Things were being set in motion. 

  


* * *

Wufei was interrupted from his paperwork and calculations by the ring of a doorbell. He grumbled, and dropped his pencil, sliding the chair away from him as he stood. His cat ran up to the door, tail raised. He opened it, blinking at his visitor. 

"Hi, Sally," he said, "Go ahead and come on in." 

She nodded, and walked after him. Wufei looked around critically, well aware his house and his appearance were not extremely tidy but passable. He rarely got any company these days. Sally Po wasn't paying any attention to her surroundings though. 

"We've got work to do again, Wufei. It's time for you to earn that check you get in the mail every year," she quipped, tossing a Preventer's uniform at him. He caught it nimbly. 

"What kind of work?" he asked suspiciously. 

"We're look into the L3-L2 tragedy. They wanted you and I because they knew of our military experience. We have a shuttle flight waiting at the airport so hurry up and get ready," she said, expecting him to stop everything that he was doing. 

He disappeared into his room, leaving her to wait on the couch. Sally noticed an old photo album lying out and leafed through it. There were pictures of a younger Wufei, smiling readily. There was also another photo that caught her attention, one of him and another girl at a wedding. In all the pictures after that, he very rarely smiled. 

Wufei emerged from his room again. His hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail at the nape of his neck instead of falling freely around his face as it had before. He dusted off his uniform and realized what she was looking at. He frowned, and took the album from her. 

"Hey!" she protested. 

"You could have asked me," he said quietly. 

"Who's the black-haired girl with the pigtails?" Sally asked him. 

His face became saddened, and she regretted asking upon seeing his reaction. "She... was... my wife for two days. Her name was Meiran." 

"Oh," she said, looking away from his face, embarrassed. There was a long silence. "Well, we'd better get going, right?" 

"Yeah," he agreed, relieved. 

The car ride up to the airport was long, but they wiled it away with light conversation on social issues, politics and possible causes for the crash. Before either of them knew it, the airport loomed into sight. Sally sighed. She couldn't shake a feeling of dread at going aboard an abandoned colony that mysteriously crashed into another, and harbored God-only-knew. 

After a long delay, they finally boarded the shuttle, and buckled up in anticipation of the liftoff. The shuttle rattled as the powerful engines started, and propelled it away from Earth. Wufei gazed out the window, watching the land drop away rapidly. Sally leaned forward to get a view as well. 

"It seems so peaceful and beautiful from up here..." she mused to herself. 

  


* * *

The sun had fallen over the horizon, and the city had lighted up to fill up the night instead. The noises of it reached through the window, but he tuned it out. Duo had lived in a bustling colony, and there was little difference. He sighed, and put down a scrap of paper and a pencil. He had finally decoded that note. It read: 

  
_Project earthquake complete. L3 & L2 done for. Project storm to be completed. Colony Time 5:01. cislunar orbit done for. KITE/KIT. _

A few things still bothered him. _What's project storm? How would a kite or kit be involved?_ He shook his head, and put the note aside on his makeshift desk. It was in actuality a large chest with a lamp moved onto it. He stood up, and looked around. 

His wife was sleeping in one of the beds with the child. Alissa had been tucked into the other one before, but had apparently vacated it. Joseph had stripped the other bed of a blanket and slept on the floor. Since the other bed was filled, he crawled under the thin sheet to go to sleep instead. 

It was too cold for him to fall asleep yet, and his mind was still working. He was thinking about whether Heero and Relena were all right. _If anyone could have made it out of there unscathed, it'd be Heero... _

Duo got out of bed, going downstairs to the hotel's lobby. He went over to the payphone, and remembered he was quite broke. If only he and Hilde had been prepared... 

"Hey, buddy, can I borrow a quarter?" Duo asked the clerk on night shift. The man looked at him, and nodded, understanding his plight. He was given the desired coin. 

He went back to the payphone, and dialed Heero's cellphone number. The phone rang almost ten times before a voice answered. 

"Hello, who's calling?" It was a male's voice and one that tickled at his memory, but he couldn't place it. 

"Duo. Is Heero there?" he asked cheerfully. There was a long pause. 

"Heero Yuy?" the voice questioned again with a lack of warmth. 

Duo nodded unconsciously in response. "Yeah, that's him." 

There was the sound of a door opening and shuffling. The man hadn't quite moved the receiver far enough away from his mouth. He barked, "Yuy! Wake up!" 

"Hhnn..uhn..." a groggy voice responded, "What?" 

"Phone call for you," the man replied coldly. _I recognize that voice_, Duo realized, _that's Zechs Marquise, but what is he doing there?_

Heero's voice came in clearly, and Duo sighed to himself in relief. "Who is this?" 

"Duo! Hey, Heero, what's up?" he asked happily. 

"I got off the colony with Relena, but an assassin shot at her. I'm in hospital now. She'll be fine," Heero related objectively. 

"Well, that bites," Duo said, "Me and Hilde escaped and ended up in a hotel. We've bunked up with a custodian called Joseph Yhetto who found some interesting things, and I was wondering if you'd take a look at them. You might catch something we've overlooked." 

"Probably," Heero replied without modesty, "Give me the address." 

Duo told him the address, and described the items quickly. He listened without saying anything more. "I'll visit you within the next two days. I can't talk here. Bye." 

"Bye, Heero." 

He hung up the phone, thinking on that for a moment or two. He went back upstairs and stayed awake for the next few hours, waiting for the hotel staff to close up for the night. When all was quiet and most intelligent patrons were dead asleep, he crept down the hall and into a back room. Duo easily avoided the hotel guards - they were nothing next to OZ patrols. 

There were several computers used to store log-ins and current vacancies. He hacked through the security easily, and connected to the Internet. He accessed several colonies logs and some major organizations' data files to gather the information he needed. When he was done, he erased all traces of his presence and closed down the computer. 

Duo stepped back out of the large closet-like room and into the hall. He saw a guard rounding a corner, and ran up to him anxiously. He knew the perfect excuse to be out at this unholy hour. 

"Do you know where the restrooms are?" he whispered hurriedly. 

The guard nodded and said, "Down the hall and to your left, third door." 

He went down the hall, but ignored the rest of the directions. He headed back to the hotel room, slipping in quietly and tiptoeing past slumbering forms. Duo slid into his bed with the thin sheets, and finally fell asleep. 

  


* * *

  
Heero was unceremoniously awakened by Milliardo roughly shaking him and shoving a phone in his face. He exchanged a few words with Duo, and hung up quickly, conscious of his listener. It served as a reminder for his responsibilities and control. What was it about being around Relena that addled his brain? 

_Relena..._ that thought made him turn to his head to look at the girl sleeping beside him, her steady breathing threatening to lull him back to sleep again. Milliardo turned away, and exited the room prudishly. Thinking about his sister and that former Gundam pilot together still made edgy. 

Heero gave little notice to his departure. He reached out to touch her hand gently, tapping it try to awaken her. She muttered something, and looked at him blearily. A tress of blonde hair fell off the side of the bed by the movement. 

"Heero..." she said softly, leaving the word hanging in the air. "Help me up." 

He put one hand on her shoulder and another on her back, assisting her to sit up slowly. Relena winced and bravely tried not to show it on her face, but he felt the muscles spasm under his fingers. He started looking her over as if afraid she was going to break suddenly. 

She looked at him, touched by his worry over her. Seeing emotion out of him was so rare, he was so afraid to just be _natural _about things that came without thought to other people. His hands lingered on her shoulders, and he drew in a deep breath. 

"It is necessary I tell you something, Relena... " he began, struggling with contradictory feelings. 

Her head snapped up, her eyes hopeful. "Yes?" she asked in answer before he finished. 

"I love you," Heero said and paused uncomfortably, his fingers twitching. It was harder to say that to someone that was receptive. 

A brilliant smile lit her face, and her eyes shone with joy and returned emotion. She said without hesitation, "I love you too. I have for a long time, but I didn't want to say anything." _for fear of driving you away..._ He heard the unspoken words at the end. 

The cellphone rang on the table. He snatched it up reflexively. Relena's face shouted annoyance, clear as day, for having her moment ruined. He thought,_ What could it possibly be **now**?_

"Yes?" Heero answered clippedly. 

"Ah, this must be Heero Yuy. I remember you, boy. I've got sad news or good news depending on your disposition," the informant told him. 

He recognized the voice, one that ghosted through childhood memories. This was one of those scientists that had trained him. "What is it?" he asked suspiciously. 

"Professor J has passed away in his sleep. I merely called to tell you as you are his relative," Professor G said. 

Heero felt a pang for a moment. Professor J had adopted him, but had never kept in contact of late. He was one of the men that had tried to train all feeling out of him, but had apologized later. Not the best substitute for a family stolen from him while he was but an oblivious child. Still, Heero did care a little. 

_I know that old man too well, as he knew me. He wouldn't go to his grave serenely without leaving something for someone else to find. _

"He must have done something before he passed away," Heero stated. 

"I have no idea of what you speak of," Professor G replied, all innocence. 

"Hnph," Heero made a skeptical noise, clearly unbelieving but not willing to press it. "Very well. Goodbye." 

"Bye," the professor said and hung up. 

Relena had stayed politely silent, but her eyes had demanded an explanation throughout the entire interchange. She was bursting with questions, but awaited his response. _Who died and did something before he passed? Why is Heero looking so cold?_

"You know of the scientists that created the Gundams?" At her nod, he continued, "Professor J, he was one of them. He adopted me and was recently found dead. That's all." 

_That's all? _she wanted to say. Relena was going to show sympathy, but he didn't seem all that disturbed about the loss of the man who had adopted him. "Don't you... feel anything?" 

Heero looked at her in mild surprise. He had been expecting her to offer the usual consolances, to be brushed off and forgotten. He spoke to her in all honesty then, "Not really. They were the ones who raised me to feel nothing. Why should I feel anything for him?" 

"You said yourself he adopted you... surely he must have cared for you. Did he ever treat you cruelly?" Relena's face showed that she wasn't comprehending. To not feel the loss of a relative was beyond her. 

"Not exactly..." Heero responded. He was sensing her disturbance, and shifted the topic, "I need to go find information on what is happening." 

Relena leaned back onto the pillow. She didn't say the first thing she wanted to, and she was suddenly very tired and sore. Someone would have told her it was dangerous, and she needed to rest. She closed her eyes, not deigning to say anything. 

He stared at a wall, and responded as much as it did. _Did I estimate her potential reactions wrong? I must have said something incorrectly... what am I doing here? I don't belong here._

She touched his arm, and he looked at her with eyes that were seeing beyond her. She said acceptingly, "Go ahead and do want you need to." 

"You don't want to accompany me?" he asked spontaneously. 

Her blue eyes softened, she blinked at him, and lifted her head slowly. Relena patted his shoulder as if to say, _don't worry, I'll be fine._ She looked at his face, and stopped her motion. 

"Of course I do... I never said I wasn't going to come _with _you, did I?" she said impulsively with a smile, as if sharing a private joke. 

Heero nodded. "But not if you're going to be in danger." 

Relena nearly sighed at his conflicting desires, but stopped herself. He seemed frail and vulnerable in his emotions right now, whether he realized it or not. She heaved herself up into a sitting position, ignoring the outcry of pain in her ribs. She held her hands out. "See? I'm fine. I can handle it, Heero - I didn't live a day in the war where I wasn't in some kind of danger." 

"True," he said, helping her out of the bed slowly, hovering by her in case she should stumble or fall. To her credit, she didn't, and masked her aches. 

Heero assisted her out of the room, and through the door. Milliardo stood up as he saw them making as if to leave the hospital, and moved not-quite in front of them. 

"Where are you taking her? She should be resting, not out walking around this facility. Come, we'll get you back into bed," he said, directing the last part to her and offering his hand. 

Relena refused it. "Ze - Milliardo, I can handle myself very well, thank you. I am Vice Minister Darlian," she said, not mistaking his name nor uttering her title by chance. He gazed at her, stung. Heero only stood where he was. 

"I know only too well, my dear sister, and was only looking out for you safety. Forgive me. Your decisions are yours." The pleasantries spilled from his lips easily, but inside Milliardo was feeling cheated. He refused to lower himself to glaring at the boy beside her. 

She had heard it all a million times from subordinates, and knew it well enough to look past it. Relena turned to leave, and Heero stayed at her side in silence. He knew when it was better not to get involved. He hailed a taxi cab and chose the apartment he had secured before as their destination. 

  


* * *

Quatre was mad with desperation for real human company, not of these silent automatons that sat at the table for dinner. They refused to meet his eyes or indulge in conversation. He finished eating and stood up to leave the room. A voice startled him. 

"Company is coming over. Your sister, Silvia is visiting with some friends," Iria said, her face blank and her eyes half-closed. She was a tangle of emotions. "It would be best... if you left soon... " 

His face lit up and he asked, "Why? That would be rude." 

She turned away, making no more comments. Yasine's large eyes tracked him, but she looked away as he glanced at her. He sighed deeply and went into the living room to straighten up the household. About half an hour later, the doorbell chirped _ding-dong!_

Quatre ran to answer the door, opening it slowly. There was a feeling of wrongness before he even looked out. Two people - an older boy and a woman - stood behind his sister, Silvia. Her brown hair clung to her face from a nervous sweat, and her eyes were wide with fright, pleading for him to do something. 

His eyes darted over the other two with recognition. The green-eyed boy was Kito, and he had seen the woman tracking him several times during the last year. Quatre whipped his head around to look at Iria who was standing the doorway, holding his little sister against her shoulder so she wouldn't see. _How could you do this to me, Iria, I trusted you... !_

She made as if to step forward, gasping, "Quatre, I'm so sorry! They threatened the rest of your sisters, said they were going to kill them off one by - " 

Kito moved his arm, and he saw why Silvia looked uncomfortable. She had had a pistol jammed up against her back. All three of them in the house stiffened at the sight. The brown-haired woman beside him smiled. 

"You're coming with us," she ordered, her cold eyes on Quatre. 

He slumped in defeat, his answer already apparent. He wasn't trained, and he wasn't going to sacrifice his sisters. _I've already lost my father, and I almost lost my best friend and Iria... there's no choice._ He hated the sensation of them skittering across his mind, catching his thoughts. 

His eyes blazed as he stepped forward, hands held outward from his body, and on the edge of the porch. Silvia bolted inside once Kito tapped her, his appearance remorseful. She hugged Iria, a tear starting down her cheek. Quatre looked away sadly. 

The woman jerked his head around to look at hers, and the feeling of invasion to his thoughts intensified. She released him, satisified with whatever she found. "He has nothing on him besides his clothes." 

"Good. We can't have you trying to hurt anybody, now can we?" Kito explained with false cheeriness, even as he bound the boy's hand firmly behind his back. The newtypes were on either side of him as they guided him into their vehicle, and Quatre already knew he had no chance of escape. They would know what he was planning before he ever did anything. _Damn you._

The female smirked even as she got into the driver's seat, and Kito shoved him into the backseat, sitting beside him. The vehicle started rolling away through the sands. His sisters crowded near the doorway, watching him go in grief. _They must think I'm to be killed. No, my sisters, the fate that awaits me is much worse. I'm to become nothing more than a pawn, a weapon of mass destruction._

"If you're going to insult us, you might as well say it outloud," Kito said flippantly, but his face was troubled. He might cloak his thoughts, but he was terrible at hiding his body language. 

Quatre shifted around, getting his arms into a better position, and his body facing the window. Silvia broke away from Iria's grasp, shouting something. He was too far away to read her lips, and could only watch them fade in the distance. A chilling thought suddenly occurred to him. 

"They'll be okay, right? You aren't going to kill them, are you?" Quatre blurted. 

Kito's face twisted in disdain. "We aren't murderers. They'll be under surveillance and confined to the house, but they will be unharmed." 

He nodded, and looked away. Against his will, he was starting to understand them as they let their guard down. The woman driving the car... she felt this was the only way for her to do what she thought she was meant for. Conditioned from birth. 

The boy, he had joined later and still had some semblance of humanity. Both had had the opportunity to desert, and both had looked away. He prayed they would find themselves guided one day back to the right path. But now, they were stifling themselves. He understood that... but hated them for imposing this on him. Hated them for their wrongness they had a chance to right, and cherished them at the same time as kindred spirits if misguided. 

_These poor, wretched childlike souls... for all your prowess, you cannot see the damage you wreak and feel it. You pretend to... and fail. Oh, children, that one day you will be saved from yourselves, and become human_, he thought sadly. 

He turned to stare out at the monotonous desert landscape outside, the sun blazing high overhead. Quatre felt melancholy, knowing what was happening to them on a deeper level as they would slowly realize their errors and blame themselves. It could happen in hours or years. He didn't think it on the surface of his thoughts. 

The ride was long, and the three sat in thick silence. There was a palpable air of expectation that grew without a word being uttered. He was shuffled to another plane and onto another car that drove into another city. The second car then pulled up near an entirely innocuous-looking building. Quatre got out without resistance. 

The two newtypes flanked him on either side tersely, even though he wasn't being much of a threat. One of them knocked on the door. An ordinary man answered, and he was guided inside. 

  


* * *


End file.
